Paintings by Rhian Swain

At First,

you may not notice her. When she is not taking photos, she usually sits at the back of the room and appears not to know anyone present. Then you catch sight of her fiery red, curly hair as she smiles or laughs. Now she lights up the room and people flock to her. Yes, Rhian Swain is in the house.

When Swain walked out of her cubicle at the Savannah River Site to go full-time with her advertising agency, RedWolf Designs, nobody would have predicted how she would change the arts landscape in Augusta. She is known for her beautiful ads and creative portfolio of work she created for the Greater Augusta Arts Council, The Lucy Craft Laney Museum of Black History, Creative Impressions and the Augusta Chorale of Georgia.  

… nobody would have predicted how she would change the arts landscape in Augusta. 

Swain created the beloved “Festival People” who annually grace the ads for Arts in the Heart. Her love of art led her to a portfolio of work that includes local and regional arts organizations, and her right/left-brain ability means we all benefit from her creativity while never missing a deadline.

From early childhood, Swain knew she was an artist. Much to her parents’ dismay, she attended the Atlanta College of Art earning a Bachelor of Fine Arts in painting while also taking classes in photography and graphic design to ensure a career focused in art.  

During college, she managed a photo studio and moonlighted in the wild ‘80s by photographing bands and clubs. Eventually, Swain moved back to Augusta, with her son, to build a career and support her small family.

Swain’s day usually begins before sun-up to keep up with her numerous clients, some in different time zones. She always has a painting, or two, in the works and her art is constantly evolving. If Malcolm Gladwell’s assertion that it takes 10,000 hours to go from good to great is true, then the curly red-haired artist could be known as Rhian the Great! 

Rhian Works!

One year, The Lucy Laney High School alumni association wanted to honor their past graduates in a hall of fame. They hired Swain to create nine portraits in two months. The following year, she painted 13 others in one month. Swain became exceptionally good at portraits but requested not to paint so many in the coming years! 

In 2021, when she decided to start painting female artists for her Breaking the Barriers series, she knew she could create inspirational portraits. But the typical creative goddess that she is, she painted the artists in their style to create a stunning traveling exhibit, debuting at The Lucy Craft Laney Museum and continuing on tour for a few years.

A goal-setter and future planner, Swain has added more training as she has concentrated on painting.  Taking a class produced by the Greater Augusta Arts Council and the Gertrude Herbert Institute of Art in The Business of Being an Artist, along with online art and abstract classes, her confidence has grown as well as her style which is fluid with textures and patterns. 

Swain is a bright star in the Augusta art scene … [she] is a woman to watch.

Her recent induction into the National Association of Women Artists has led to more career opportunities with gallery showings in New York and Myrtle Beach S.C. She, along with 36 artists, also recently completed a mural on the 5th Street pedestrian bridge.

Swain is a bright star in the Augusta art scene. She is applying to residencies and working to tour her traveling show in many places. Last spring, she photographed the Richmond County Board of Education graduation ceremonies, and she is looking forward to shooting the Arts in the Heart Festival this fall in their new location. If you can catch her, Swain is a woman to watch.

Upcoming Exhibitions

21st Century Goddesses
Curated by Rhian Swain. Featuring paintings by Rhian Swain, A.C. Daniel, and Katie Scarborough at the Jessye Norman School of the Arts.
August 15–October 15
Reception on September 6, 6:30 p.m.

Breaking the Barriers: 
Women Who Have Impacted the Arts
Paintings by Rhian Swain at the Lucy Craft Laney Museum of Black History.
September 4–October 27
Reception on September 8, 3–5 p.m.

Seen in the August/September 2024 issue of Augusta magazine.